Earlier attempts to rebuild the fresh chronology of Xibeigang regal tombs possess relied generally into the study of limited overlaps anywhere between certain of one’s tombs (e.g. Li Reference Li 1959; Kane Source Kane 1975; Private 1977; Chang Resource Chang 1980: 117–19; Yang Resource Yang 1981, Reference Yang 1991). The new tombs had been greatly robbed and most of one’s datable artefacts (eg tan situations) that could be related to particular stages of your own typo-series was basically shed (Liang & Gao Source Liang and you can Gao 1962, Site Liang and Gao 1965, Reference Liang and Gao 1967, Resource Liang and you may Gao 1968, Resource Liang and you will Gao 1970, Reference Liang and Gao 1974, Resource Liang and Gao 1976, Site Liang and you can Gao 1996; cf. Such as overlaps, but not, are present merely anywhere between tombs 1001 and you can 1550 (the second is created after compared to former), between 1001, 1004 and you can 1002 (created in this buy), and you will ranging from 1500 and 1217 (aforementioned created later than the previous) (Profile step one). Neither 1003 nor 1400 display screen particularly overlapping (Contour 1). Thus, the previous perceptions don’t to locate tombs 1003 and 1400 convincingly about Xibeigang sequence (see 
Desk step one).
Amongst the highest tombs of Xibeigang cemetery, 1443 and you can 50WGM1 are believed so you’re able to pre-day the initial stage, and you may, significantly, are likely contemporaneous that have Huanbei Shangcheng ????, discover immediately north-eastern from Yinxu, and you may matchmaking in the Middle Shang several months (Tang Source Tang 1999)
Once the 1950s, a close relative chronology was developed playing with Anyang ceramic ships, that is told of the classification of bronzes and other factors. The result of this is actually the four-phase Anyang Yinxu chronology (IA CASS 1994). Tombs 1550, 1400 and 1004 was contemporaneous to the Fu-Hao tomb, and hence day with the 2nd stage. These are the merely tombs that may be convincingly situated in the fresh new Yinxu chronological system.
Examination of the latest routine bones ‘Gu-si’ spatulas decorated that have carved a symbol design enjoys, but not, enabled Uchida to construct an effective chronological program which allows the fresh temporary ranks of the many royal tombs during the Xibeigang cemetery to getting computed. Steady diachronic change might be recognised regarding pursuing the options that come with these types of spatulas (Shape step three) (Namba Reference Namba [Uchida] 1990, Reference Namba [Uchida] 1995a & Resource Namba [Uchida] b; see along with the OSM):
Yinxu tomb 5 (the new tomb regarding Fu-Hao, a girlfriend of the twenty-second Shang leader Wu-Ding) in the palace state-of-the-art on Xiaotun ?? Village wasn’t robbed, and produced a good grave assemblage regular of your second stage off the new chronological program (IA CASS 1980)
Contour step 3. ‘Gu-si’ ?? and its own typo-chronological sequence. A) Bits and you can brands used in the text (213mm in length, and you may 65mm in width; shortly after Umehara Reference Umehara 1940: fig. 82); B) specimens of particular tombs, demonstrated within the chronological purchase (Institute of the past and Philology, Academia Sinica).
- 1) Morphology: the first specimens uphold the initial form of the cows rib and base skeleton of which they are molded. He’s high in proportions and you may rounded inside the cross section. Through the years it be square and plate-eg, and you may slowly smaller, straighter for the cross section, which have concave a lot of time sides.
- 2) Carving: the fresh new very first great number of construction products spanning the whole build gradually minimizes. Sculpture is 1st inside relief however, slowly changes so you can compliment methods that have incised design (Figure step 3).
- 3) Design: design fall under one or two chief living (discover Profile S1 on OSM), each one of which shows a definite process of economisation and you can simplification with regards to the sculpture techniques and you will framework working.
- 4) The original bone crest is leftover unworked in the prior to specimens but is even more did over the years; the big is actually hit bottom and specific framework design was incised from inside the they (Profile 3a).